Giving your patio a
Regardless of your methodology, we recommend you thoroughly wash your patio three to four times a year, rather than just at the beginning and end of the summer season.
We have reviewed some of the best-selling paving cleaners you can buy here. Give your patio or driveway paving a winter clean to make it less likely the dirt will penetrate deep into the paved surface over the colder months. This will keep your paving cleaner for longer into the spring.
Mop and sweep regularly
Pressure washing will get your patio and deck squeaky-clean, but it's not a cleaning habit you'll do regularly, especially amidst ongoing water shortages. To maintain your outdoor space, sweep the deck weekly to minimize buildup.
An annual deep clean will keep patio paving in good shape, and leave it looking its best ahead of the warmer months.
Yes, you can pressure wash your pavers. But while using a pressure washer at a basic level is simple, ignorant and inexperienced users can easily damage their pavers by using a stream that's too powerful, by holding the wand too close to the pavers, or by falling into any number of other rookie mistakes.
You can use a pressure washer on wooden decking, stones or brick paved patios which are bound together with concrete. However, we don't recommend using it to clean a block-paved patio, as it will simply wash away all the sand and dirt which binds the bricks together.
Experts say they can do the trick for the patio as well. 'You can remove black spots easily from patios in an eco-friendly, low-cost way, with white vinegar,' says Laura Harnett, Founder, Seep. 'It has antifungal and antibacterial properties and will also stop the mould or lichen growing back.
One of the best things for household stains is white vinegar, and the same can be said for how it targets stubborn garden dirt. This eco-friendly solution is made up of equal parts vinegar and water, which is then left to soak into the patio to correct any discolouration and also remove tough marks.
Cleaning a patio with bleach is easy.
Whether your patio is sealed concrete or cement, or even sealed concrete pavers, a bleach and water solution makes it easy to clean away built up soil, stains from leaves and pollen, mold, mildew and algae.
To clean smaller surfaces areas, pH-neutral soap, a little water, and a brush are suitable. If you want to clean larger areas of natural stone efficiently, you can reach for the electric patio cleaner or work with the pressure washer and a surface cleaner.
“Prolonged or hard frosts can put a stop to construction work. For traditional sand cement mortars used for laying paving flags, the typical guide is that they should not be used unless the ambient temperature is 3°C or above.
Do I need to seal my patio and pavers? By using a patio sealant, you can help protect your paving stones from stains such as dirt and oils, plus give it a UV resistance to help maintain the natural stone colours.
You can't cover your patio with copper sheets, but you can spray on a liquid solution of copper that will soak into the top surface of the concrete pavers. This copper will stop the growth of the pesky green and black organisms in their tracks. The easiest way to apply the copper is to buy copper sulfate crystals.
In fact, vinegar removes mold from concrete better than bleach. Bleach will only remove the top layer of mold, causing the mold to return.
Once again, acetic acid will wreak havoc with your block paving. Porous stones like limestone and sandstone are more susceptible to damage than most, as the vinegar can seep into the stones themselves, though even sealed and non-porous stones can discolour and bleach.
Dirt and mud are probably the most common culprit behind a dirty patio, but they are also the easiest to clean. However, the organic growth that populates the rest of the above list can be pesky and pervasive. Algae, mold, mildew, lichen, and moss thrive in damp environments.
“For patios, it's about 130 bars (1885 PSI) and for concrete you can go up to 150 bars (2175 PSI).
Dish soaps are ideal for this job. While they feature surfactants that are able to remove tough grime like oil and grease, they are also safe enough to use on paving stones without compromising their integrity or appearance.